By Matt Weiner (@mattweiner20) – Spear Reporter | Photo via Christian Vieyra of The Spear
In his sixth and final year of eligibility, SJSU football quarterback Chevan Cordeiro is helping the Spartans (3-5, 2-2 MW) ascend from 1-5 to bowl eligble. Such a feat would normally turn Cordeiro – the 2023 Mountain West Preseason Offensive Player of the Year – from a fringe NFL prospect to an undrafted free agent lock or a potential late-round pick.
But if SJSU accomplishes the herculean task, Cordeiro’s arm might not be the reason for it. A lack of pass-catching options has turned SJSU into a run-reliant offense. Though it’s been successful – SJSU’s rushed for 250-plus yards during its first win streak of 2023 – Cordeiro’s lack of production could end his NFL aspirations.
When the Spartans face the University of Hawaii (2-6, 0-3 MW) this Saturday, Cordeiro’s receiving core must try to remind him why he chose to leave all his family and friends back home in Honolulu, and come to San Jose.
Following a recent practice, Cordeiro smiled, his brown eyes illuminated as he looked at a Twitter post from former Pop Warner, Saint Louis High School and UH teammate Jonah Panoke. It was a “good luck” post made in the wake of Cordeiro transferring to SJSU.
“My whole life, I grew up just thinking that I was gonna stay in Hawaii,” said Cordeiro, who spent four years at UH with the last two as starter. “It really took a lot for me to leave.”
The “a lot” is a reference to the toxic environment Rainbow Warriors head coach Todd Graham fostered before resigning. According to a report from “The Athletic,” from 2020-21 Graham took players’ love out of the game through verbal and mental abuse. In doing so, Cordeiro headlined a mass exodus of transfers following the 2021 season.
Down in Los Angeles for a recruiting trip in early December, SJSU football head coach Brent Brennan and offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven came to a screeching halt when they got word Cordeiro hit the portal. Knowing Cordeiro might be the team’s best chance of bouncing back from a disappointing follow-up to its 2020 Mountain West Championship, they flew across the Pacific Ocean to Cordeiro’s home within 48 hours.
Such urgency was a byproduct of trying to beat out Colorado State. Brennan didn’t know if CSU’s newly hired offensive coordinator Timmy Chang – a legendary UH quarterback – could land Cordeiro.
Surrounded by Hawaii’s lush greenery at Kapi’olani Park, Brennan, McGiven and other SJSU coaches gathered with Cordeiro and his family at a bench. SJSU’s staff chatted for “a couple of hours” about the program and how they saw Cordeiro fitting into it.
A short time later, Cordeiro joined Nevada wide receivers senior Elijah Cooks and sophomore Justin Lockhart on an official visit to SJSU. “We tried to get all those guys together. Kind of build a plan for like, what this would look like, what we would do offensively just how all those pieces would fit,” Brennan said.
The pieces must’ve fit well because Cooks and Lockhart committed to SJSU, and Cordeiro canceled an upcoming recruiting trip to CSU and committed to the Spartans, too.
By siding with Cooks and Lockhart at SJSU, Cordiero missed on the opportunity to throw to fellow Nevada transfer and later CSU commit, wide receiver Tory Horton. As the Mountain West leader in catches (65) and receiving yards (738), Horton’s on pace to notch his second consecutive All-Mountain West First Team.
If Cordeiro committed to CSU could he have totaled monstrous numbers with Horton en route to getting noticed by NFL scouts? What’s more, would that have led to Chang staying at CSU instead of becoming UH’s head coach in late January of 2022?
At the moment, Cordeiro hasn’t shown an ounce of regret in his decision to commit to SJSU. He’s beyond thankful Brennan’s positivity helped rekindle his love for the game and thrived in McGiven’s “swaggy” offense last season.
In 2022, Cordeiro exhibited NFL-caliber accuracy and thrived in pushing the ball downfield in tight windows. By leading the Mountain West with 3,251 passing yards and 23 passing touchdowns, Cordeiro illustrated that he, Cooks (1,076 receiving yards, 69 catches and 10 touchdowns) and Lockhart (36 catches, 578 yards and one touchdown) were a match made in transfer portal heaven.
According to an NFL scout, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, Cordeiro had a “legitimate chance” of being a late-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. But with four regular-season games left in 2023, it’s unlikely Cordeiro will be drafted. He’s only thrown for at least 275 yards once. In 2022, he did it six times.
Even breaking NFL camp as an unsigned free agent isn’t a guarantee.
Cordeiro sinking down draft boards doesn’t fall entirely upon him. On top of facing a challenging early slate of opponents, SJSU didn’t land any wide receivers in the transfer portal to replace Cooks, who moved on to the NFL. Furthermore, SJSU’s third and fourth leading wide receivers transferred to other schools, Jermaine Braddock (Portland State) and Isaiah Hamilton (Washington State) respectively.
The exits left Cordeiro vulnerable to a drop off, which eventually came to fruition when Lockhart sustained a season-ending injury in August. With four regular-season games left, SJSU’s best wide receiver is former quarterback Nick Nash, whose first collegiate start at wide receiver came in the Spartans season-opening loss at No. 6 USC.
Perhaps not now, but in the future, will Cordeiro ponder about whether or not Fort Collins could’ve been a better second home? Redshirt freshmen, Rams quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi is the second-leading passer in the Mountain West. Moreover, the Rams’ Horton and tight end Dallin Hoker are top-six in receiving yards in the conference. Meanwhile, there’s no Spartan within the top 10.
But just like the Graham era, SJSU’s preseason roster construction is in the past. All Cordeiro can do is hope the pass-catching core surrounding him steps up. After all, there’s an ocean of upside for both Cordeiro and SJSU.
Though SJSU’s newfound rushing attack has sparked a win streak, an imbalanced attack might deflate and hold the Spartans back from winning three of their next four to reach a bowl game. After UH, SJSU faces a Fresno State boasting the Mountain West’s second-best rushing defense.
On top of that, an improved passing game that leads to a bowl appearance shows Brennan and SJSU’s staff made am excellent, program-shifting decision to land Cordeiro. After hitting the portal, SJSU and CSU were the only schools that offered Cordeiro immediately.
And as for Cordeiro, leading a late-season bowl appearance proves to NFL scouts he can win and produce in a difficult circumstance. That interest can then soar if he drops mind-boggling stats in said bowl game.
So there is a path. One that starts in a place he’s known his entire life.
“Hawaii will always be my home,” Cordeiro said.